In recent years, the use of induction heating appliances as fireless cooking devices for cooking has been widely spreading. This type of induction heating appliance for cooking includes an infrared sensor disposed below a center portion of a heating coil and a control unit operable in response to an output from the infrared sensor to control an inverter circuit to thereby control the output of the heating coil (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-38660).